PROGBESS REPORT ON THE EUROPEAN CORN BORER 
29 
INJURY TO THE EAR 
It is evident that the injury to the stalk may indirectly affect the 
ear by interfering with the supply of nutriment, such injury depend- 
ing, of course, not only upon the stage of development of the ear 
during the maximum period of injury, but also upon the degree 
of injury to the stalk. The ear may be entered directly by the 
borers (fig. 11) at any stage of their development, at its tip, base, or 
side; or it may be entered indirectly through the short stem by 
Fig. 10. — " Close-up " of hill of sweet corn ruined by Eu- 
ropean corn borer. Stalks sectioned to show extensive 
damage within. There were an average of 37 borers per 
plant in this field. Medford, Mass., September, 1922 
which the ear is attached to the stalk. Ordinarily the ear is entered 
at its tip (fig. 9) by small borers which feed first upon the silk, or 
the tender portion of the husk, subsequently working their way 
down into the cob and grain. Ears entered in this manner do not 
always exhibit external evidences of infestation, as the small particles 
of frass made by the larvae in entering sometimes are very incon- 
spicuous and the external evidences of feeding are small. It fre- 
quently is necessary to strip away the husk before evidence of 
